Sep 16-30 2017

The BJP-led government headed by Narendra Modi is stepping up the pace of the privatisation program. The target for sale of government shares in public companies has been raised from Rs.30,000 crores in 2015-16 to Rs.56,500 crores in 2016-17, and to Rs.72,500 crores in 2017-18. Many sectors which have so far been reserved for public ownership, including coal, defence production and railways, have been opened up to Indian and foreign private companies. Preparations are being made for outright sale of Air India and divestment of BSNL.

On August 21, US President Trump announced the strategy his government will pursue towards Afghanistan and South Asia. Trump declared that the US would not withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, unlike what was promised by his predecessor Barack Obama. On the contrary, the US would escalate its military intervention in Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to achieve “victory” over the Taliban and various other forces.

A nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court has ruled that Indians enjoy a “fundamental right to privacy” and that it is intrinsic to the “right to life and liberty” ...

The working class and other oppressed sections cannot be complacent that this judgment will guarantee civil liberties including the right to privacy. We must step up the struggle to ensure constitutional

Gauri Lankesh, well known journalist and social activist, editor of the Kannada publication Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was brutally shot dead at her residence on the evening of September 5, 2017. Gauri Lankesh was respected among those fighting for the rights of the exploited and oppressed, for her bold investigative writings exposing the crimes of those in power and her passionate appeal for justice for the victims of state terror.

I thank Mazdoor Ekta Lehar for this excellent piece on Goods and Services Tax. Much has been written and talked on the subject in media and the press, which only confuses the content and intent of the GST. The article in a simple language exposes precisely its content and intent in its very title. The article sharply brings out three key aspects of the legislation, exposing its class content:

The Statement of the CC of the CGPI entitled 'Building a new India requires getting rid of the old exploitative system and the oppressive State!' in the Sept. 1-15, 2017 issue of MEL is a thought provoking piece. The Statement was issued in the wake of the 70th Independence Day observance and as a response to the call of the PM where he called for building a "New India" over 5 years (!), in India without poverty, corruption, communalism and discrimination.

With respect to the condemnation of US warmongering and threats against the Korean people, I would like to bring to the attention of your readers that Guam, an island in the Pacific Ocean with a little over 200,000 people is one of the bases for the US military.

The Economic Survey is an annual document presented by the Ministry of Finance. It reviews developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months. It highlights recent policies of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term. It is presented to both houses of Parliament during Budget Session.

On Saturday, August 19, 2017, 14 coaches of the Kalinga Utkal Express travelling between Hardwar and Puri went off the rails near Muzaffarnagar, UP, killing 23 people and seriously injuring hundreds. Within three days of this, the Kaifiyat Express travelling between Azamgarh, UP and Delhi collided with a dumper that was crossing the tracks, near Kanpur, leading to derailment and injuries to many. Over the last 5 years there have been 586 train accidents out of which 53% or the majority were due to derailments.

The recent tragedy in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and the earlier many such tragedies which occur with predictable frequency, some reported, some highlighted, and mostly ignored and forgotten are the hallmark of present public health system in India. It has once again exposed the criminal callousness of the state authorities and those who rule.

Women workers at PepsiCo in Argentina have been organizing militant protests against retrenchment, long hours of work in harsh working conditions. The protests began in June this year. They arrived at work June 20 to find a note on the door saying that the plant would be relocated and that workers were out of a job.

Dozens of working and retrenched employees protested in Hyderabad on 8th September against the ongoing mass lay-offs in the Information Technology sector.
The Forum of IT Professionals has clarified that “Over the last three months, up to 25,000 people have been sacked in the city by different companies.

Several teachers from Central and State universities and colleges celebrated Teachers’ Day on 5th September, by courting arrest.

Protesting under the banners of the All India Federation of University & College Teachers’ Organisations(AIFUCTO) and the Federation of Central University Teachers’ Associations (FEDCUTA), they were demonstrating against non-declaration of the Chauhan Pay Review Committee Report, that was submitted over six months ago.

Government employees and teachers under the banner Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations – Government Employees Organisations (JACTTO-GEO) staged demonstrations across the central region on Friday urging the State government to implement their various demands.

As Mazdoor Ekta Lehar goes to the press, on 13 September 2017, angry peasants had once again taken to the roads to press for their demand of waiver of loans and other demands. The mahapadav organised by the All India Kisan Sabha and other peasant organisations on 12 September had forced the Rajasthan government to take notice of the more than 10-day long agitation and invite the leaders of agitating peasants for a meeting in the evening in Jaipur. An eleven member delegation took part in the talks. Talks went on till late in the night, however, it did not result in an agreement. Soon after that the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti met and announced chakka jam throughout Rajasthan.

The Assam government has enacted the Industrial Disputes (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2017, which authorises employers to retrench up to 300 employees without seeking approval of the government. As in Rajasthan, which was the first among states to pass anti-labour legislation, Assam has legislated this in the name of “labour reform”. The Assam assembly passed the bill by a voice vote on 7 Sept.

PARTY DOCUMENTS

The first part of this pamphlet is an analysis of facts and phenomena to identify and expose the real aims behind the Note Ban. The second part is devoted to a critical appraisal of the government’s claims that it will reduce inequality, corruption and terrorism. The third part is what Communist Ghadar Party believes is the real solution to these problems and the immediate program of action towards that solution.

100 years ago Ghadar Party was formed by Indians in the US.It was historic milestone in our anti-colonial struggle.

The goal of this party was to organise a revolution to liberate our motherland from British servitude and establish a free and independent India with equal rights for all. It believed this to be the necessary condition for our people to hold their heads high anywhere in the world.

Call of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India, 30th August, 2012

Working class representatives from all over the country are gathering on 4th September, at a time when a titanic struggle is going on in our country. The struggle is between the majority of toiling and exploited people and a minority of exploiters. It is between the majority whose labour expands wealth and the minority who enjoy the fruits of wealth creation on the basis of their private property and positions of power.